


Dear

by Mireio



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Polyamory, it's all kind of inferred, no explicit romance, you can take this as shippy or platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 16:53:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10517901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mireio/pseuds/Mireio
Summary: Ignis smiles. “Whine and pout all you may, I too know that you-“ He stops himself just short of saying ‘love’- “care for me. Us adults are all-knowing that way.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I did for my friend's birthday. Who doesn't have a soft spot for Ignis-Noct bonding?
> 
> This can be romantic or not to you, I like them both either way. Comments keep me motivated. ♡

There isn’t much that terribly frightens Ignis.

The critical way his mind works allows him to see many solutions to a given problem. He’s easily the calmest of their ragtag group, not giving into panic whereas Prompto is often the first to freak over something.

But one thing Ignis cannot tolerate is the crushing weight of helplessness. When there is nothing he can do to save his prince from harm, when Deadeye, a gigantic beast, sends the boy flying with a swing of his enormous head.

 _This is it,_ he thought in a panic, blood rushing in his head as he took off in a full on sprint after Noctis. _This is it, this is the time I failed one time too many, this will be the last battle Noctis can take until he gives._

But he rushes over, cradles the boy, and finds that he’s breathing. Haggardly, but breathing none the less. He’s even trying to stand. Gladiolus is already at his side without being asked, shielding Ignis – Prompto has himself, all of his meager one hundred-sixty pounds of himself wedged between Noctis and Deadeye.

Prompto is literally trembling in his boots, but he’ll do what he can.

Oh Noct, Ignis closes his eyes and holds the prince’s head against his chest so he may hear his hammering heart. _Don’t you see the worry you cause us all…_

_\--_

“I’m _fine_ Ignis, really,” Noctis grouses. “It’s just- I just have a headache.” He smacks Ignis’s hand away from his forehead. “Are you kidding me? You’re not helping it either.”

Ignis clicks his tongue. Noctis is just being a brat; he’s learned to not take the prince’s moods personally.

“Uh, bro,” Prompto butts in. “I’d say the blood gushing from your head isn’t just a headache-“ He blanches, and makes a slight dry heave, “Oh gods, the blood..” and stumbles off feeling sick.

“You’re gonna make Prompto puke again,” Gladiolus huffs. “Stop being a brat and let us take care of you. Well, let me and Ignis take care of you.”

“I’ll provide moral support from over here,” Prompto calls from a distance away hunched over in the dirt.

Noctis relents and hisses petulantly as Ignis dabs the nasty wound on his temple with alcohol.

“I’m sorry, would you prefer if Gladio tended your wounds?”

Gladiolus reaches to take the bottle of alcohol and Noctis blanches. “No,” he croaks. “You can do it.”

“Very well then, sit still.”

Gladiolus just laughs quietly and Noctis sits quietly and obediently, wincing just every now and then.

“Amazing how it doesn’t hurt so bad now, isn’t it?” Ignis smirks. Noctis just pouts. When a furious gurgling sound emits from Noctis’s belly, Ignis immediately pauses with the need to take care of it. “Oh, it seems you’re rather starved. Gladio, it appears you _will_ have to take over. I must prepare something. That’ll get the prince back on his feet in no time.”

Noctis looks nothing short of terrified when the antiseptic alcohol is passed to Gladiolus – his huge, rough, _not_ caretaker hands – and Ignis swiftly walks away to sort through their meager ingredients for dinner.

“Alright Noct, this might require stitches.”

Prompto makes a retching sound from several yards away.

\--

Once subjected to Gladiolus’s “care,” one learns to appreciate Ignis infinitely more.

While Ignis is normally the first to lay down for the night to get plenty of sleep – well, tonight he just doesn’t feel right retiring until he sees Noctis laid down first. Prompto’s sudden sickness makes him head inside earlier, and Gladiolus must be in a caring mood since cleaning up Noctis, because he follows saying, “Might as well make sure he doesn’t throw up in the tent.”

“And make sure he’s hydrated,” Ignis says, tossing him one of their last bottles of water.

“You know, I’m getting pretty good at this caretaking thing,” he says with a fond smile at Ignis, who returns the warmth until he sees Gladiolus disappear fully behind the tent flaps.

Only the crickets and sound of nocturnal birds accompany Ignis and Noctis as they meander their way through the last few bites of their meal. Noctis clears his throat awkwardly, and Ignis looks at him.

“Um. Thank you, for earlier.” Noctis pushes his food around with a fork – to Ignis’s slight disdain, because why must he have picked up the habit of playing with food even under Ignis’s care – and sighs. “For taking care of me. As usual. You’re at least…a lot better than Gladio.” Noctis winces at the memory and rubs just above the clean cut on his head. Ignis stifles a laugh, because it would feel cruel to do so.

“Well it’s always nice to be appreciated,” Ignis says with no small amount of satisfaction. He pauses. “Really though Noct, you don’t need to thank me. I already know. It’s like…well, it’s like instinct. I just know.”

Noctis makes a face like he’s frustrated. “It’s not- I don’t want you to just _know_ like that. I really…I really want you to know because I told you. I’m different from before, I don’t-“ He bites his lip. “I don’t want to take anyone for granted, not anymore. I only wished I had said something to my father before I left. I have such a bad feeling – Ignis, if anything ever happened to him, I want him to know-“

Ignis is suddenly there, wanting to hush this foolish boy, kneeling before him. It didn’t feel like a subject kneeling before his prince, but something similar that had stirred in Ignis’s gut as a teenager when he watched Noctis’s father do the same thing before his child.

“-that I love him,” Noctis finishes weakly. He blinks rapidly and Ignis aches for the tears he sees there.

“Noctis, don’t think anything bad will happen to your father,” Ignis says sternly. “And most importantly…if anything did take him, I promise you, Noct, he knows. He knows you love him, entirely and completely.” His hands are on his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks. “You’re his son. You’ve always shown him that you adore him. When his time comes, even if you aren’t there, I can tell you with one-hundred percent certainty that there won’t be any doubt in his mind. He’ll know.”

Noctis nods, and he tries not to sniffle, but he does anyway and Ignis kisses his forehead. He knows Noctis would likely be embarrassed by such affection any other time.

“You know,” Noctis mumbles. “You’re kind of…well, I don’t want to sound creepy, but I guess you’re kind of like him. In that sense.”

Ignis smiles. “Whine and pout all you may, I too know that you-“ He stops himself just short of saying ‘love’- “care for me. Us adults are all-knowing that way.”

Noctis rolls his eyes. “You’re not that much older than me.”

“I know, I simply enjoy the illusion of being the wiser, older being here.”

“It’s an attitude like _that_ that turns men into old geezers,” Noctis laughs, wiping his eyes.

“I’m curious that you would compare to me to your father- rather than some, I don’t know, stand-in mother figure.” Noctis snorts.

“We all know you’re more father material,” he says. “The mother stereotype doesn’t suit you. Besides, I’d say Gladio is more like…” He trails off.

“A mother grizzly?” Ignis offers.

Noctis shudders. “Exactly.”

Ignis laughs heartily, and tries to hush Noctis when he laughs too loud.

“Well if Gladio is indeed a mother grizzly, we don’t want to disturb his sleep,” Ignis says. “Especially while he’s got a sick cub in his care.”

Noctis grins so wide it looks like it might split his cheeks. Ignis’s heart flutters.

Ignis takes his mostly empty plate and stacks it on top of his own to put away for washing.

Noctis lifts the flap of the tent to duck inside.

“Noct,” Ignis calls. “It’s only fair that you know for sure as well. I – well, all of us. Gladio and Prompto as well. We love you. Dearly.”

Noctis smiles. His eyes are rimmed with red. “I know.”

He lays down to sleep.

 


End file.
